Many seats are designed to allow occupants to move from a fully seated upright position to a partially or fully reclined position. These seats may allow only a slight backward motion, or they may be seats that are reclineable to a great degree. For example, aircraft and other passenger transport vehicles, such as trains or buses, often have seats that recline or otherwise have a backrest with some “give” motion. This lends itself to passenger comfort, as movement of the vehicle may be turbulent or bumpy, and comfortable seats preferably have backrest portions with at least some resilience. Premium seats for vehicles may also have a seat pan that is adjustable, such that forward and backward movement of the seat pan is allowed, while reclining motion of the backrest is also allowed. Seats for theatres, auditoriums, stadiums, home and/or office use may also benefit from having a hinged or “spring back action” backrest portion, as sitting completely upright without any “give” or elastic resilience for extended periods of time can be uncomfortable.
If provided, pivot articulation points for kinematic seatbacks are typically provided by classic pivot points, comprised of a pin and lugs. These classic pivots have several problems that prevent their desirable use in certain kinematic seats. For example, the combination of the pin and lugs may have a weight that is greater than desirable for certain uses. The costs of components can be higher than desired, they can be noisy in use, they are subject to wear and tear due to friction, and they are further subject to loosening. It is thus desirable to provide an improved elastic point for a kinematic seat.